Council committee looks to cut out plastics

City staff are looking to other jurisdictions for ways Edmontonians can cut down on single-use plastics and curb pollution.

The federal government hasn’t introduced national policies on the issue, but cities and businesses across the country have launched their own initiatives, said a city report released Thursday.

Single-use plastics are used once before being thrown away or recycled. Items include grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, disposable cups, water bottles, takeout food containers and cutlery.

These plastics are increasingly associated with damage to marine life — public awareness has been heightened by images such as a sea turtle with a plastic straw embedded in its nose.

In June, Coun. Ben Henderson introduced a motion at a utility committee meeting to help fight plastic pollution.

“The bottom line is we have a whole bunch of stuff we use for about 10 or 15 minutes and then it is around for 1,000 years,” he said Thursday, noting he wants to see a report that outlines potential options.

“The question is what is the most effective way to move forward,” he added. “In my mind I’m pretty determined that we need to up our game on this.

A local environmental organization that advocates for reducing plastic pollution ultimately wants to see council consider a ban or surcharge on plastic bags.

“One of the flagship jurisdictions was Ireland. When they enacted a surcharge, they saw a 90 to 95 per cent reduction in single-use plastic bags,” said Waste Free Edmonton co-founder Melissa Gorrie in an interview Thursday.

Ireland introduced the fee for plastic bags in 2002.

Victoria became the first municipality in British Columbia to ban single-use plastic bags in January, noted the city report. The bylaw prevents businesses from providing plastic checkout bags. Paper and reusable bags can be provided at $0.15 and $1 respectively.

Closer to home, the municipality of Wood Buffalo introduced a bylaw that eliminated single-use shopping bags. The new rule, which came into effect Sept. 1, 2010, was spurred by a student-led petition.

Gorrie said a conservative estimate of plastic bag use in Edmonton would put numbers at about 200 million bags per year.

“We can do better,” she said. “There are solutions out there.”